(4) PS Illustrated by Shari Halpern. The forced rhyme of this slight story reveals that a puffin, living alone on an island and eating only fish, is lonely until he agrees to make friends with the fish and change his diet to pancakes. The bold and colorful art is suitable for toddlers and preschoolers.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(2) PS Illustrated by Shari Halpern. Four indisputably cute overall-clad kitties don hard hats and hop into colorful earthmovers to dig, move, push, and smooth dirt at a construction site. Halpern's irresistible gouache illustrations do the heavy lifting here, channeling Byron Barton's style (strong black lines, rich hues) but with more subtlety of color. With its bold images and straightforward text, this book would make a good storytime choice.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2013

(3) PS Translated by Diego Lasconi. Illustrated by Shari Halpern. When puppy Titus arrives on a farm, he's not sure what he is supposed to do. Although he can't drive a tractor, go to school, or give milk, he realizes that what he can do is be a good watchdog. Colorful cut-paper and fabric collages illustrate the simple text. This bilingual edition allows Spanish speakers to enjoy Titus's adventures.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) PS Illustrated by Shari Halpern. "Some bugs burrow underground. / Others swoop and buzz around." A boy notes the variety and abilities of numerous bugs. As with I Love Planes! and I Love School!, this one ends with a family member--the boy's baby sister in a ladybug costume--joining the fun. Genial, black-outlined art illustrates the bouncy text. Endpapers provide brief facts about nineteen common creatures.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Shari Halpern. With the same gusto that fueled I Love Trucks! and the rest of their collaborations, Sturges and Halpern craft a rousing endorsement of kindergarten from a child's perspective. The flat, heavily outlined, brightly colored illustrations exude good cheer as a brother and sister take turns telling (in rhyme) what they like to do in the classroom and on the playground.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(4) PS Illustrated by Shari Halpern. The forced rhyme of this slight story reveals that a puffin, living alone on an island and eating only fish, is lonely until he agrees to make friends with the fish and change his diet to pancakes. Bold and colorful art is suitable for toddlers and preschoolers.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(3) PS Illustrated by Shari Halpern. A young aviation lover daydreams about being a passenger on every type of flying machine he can think of, from a hot-air balloon to a space station (where his astronaut mom works). The flat, bold images and simple text will captivate the youngest flying enthusiasts, while the more detailed information on the endpapers will help older readers who want to know what distinguishes various planes.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(4) PS Illustrated by Shari Halpern. As the train passes by his window, a little boy, wearing overalls and an engineer's hat, expresses his love of trains and describes each type of car and its function--especially "the car that carries Dad." Although the rhyming text sometimes misses, the bold double-page spreads provide expansive black-outlined landscapes and ample room for the brightly colored train to travel across the pages.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) PS Illustrated by Shari Halpern. The young narrator sings the praises of autumn leaves, which identify the season and with which the child plays and makes art. The simple, exclamation-point-heavy text ("Look at all the fall colors!") and the all-smiles paper collage illustrations are occasionally bland; however, this is belied by the basic, useful tutorial in leaf identification toward the book's end.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Harper Growing Tree series. Illustrated by Shari Halpern. "Did you ever have a horse snort near your ear? / How did it feel? / Moisty, musty. Warm and gusty." Ten double-page spreads each feature a question about an animal encounter and a rhyming answer using tactile language. The textured cut-paper illustrations are a good match for the text. The repetition of "How did it feel?" becomes tedious, but the imaginative text will encourage listeners to come up with their own questions and answers.

Reviewer: Suzy Schmidt

(3) PS Illustrated by Shari Halpern. Invitingly clear and bright Byron Bartonesque artwork accompanies simple verse highlighting favorite vehicles. Labeled endpapers provide a composite of the featured trucks along with an additional fact about each one. The bold, large-scale pictures will make this a hit with even the youngest of truck lovers.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) PS In simple language, three young children enthusiastically tell how they plant handfuls of unmarked seeds for a surprise garden. The trio work in their garden, reaping--and of course, eating--a harvest of peas, beans, squash, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, carrots, radishes, and watermelon. Brightly colored and uncluttered, the paper and fabric collage illustrations are as cheerful and sunny as summertime itself.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.